Hurricane Ridge

A day trip to the top of Hurricane Ridge at Olympic National Park. We hiked through the area and saw black tailed deer, wild flowers, snow on the mtns, and looking way to the North we could see the Stait of Juan de Fuca and Victoria. A great day.

Snow on the mountains.

Look closely and you'll see a black tailed deer and 2 fawns.

We shoppped at Farmers market. Got lots of great fruits, veggies, oysters, clams, fresh tuna and this gorgeous teddy bear sunflower.
Washington is great. We are camped outside of Port Angeles within hiking distance of a dam and trail filled with wildflowers and wild berries. Cobbler for dinner tonight.

And my new best friend.

Victoria

A day trip to Victoria. We took the ferry over and in 1 hour traveled from Washington to Canada. Dick is posed with his new best friend.

Beth shared a hug with the big moose.

We traveled around the area by ferry and picked out our favorite million dollar floating homes, gorgeous yachts and high rise condos.

Parliament buildings constructed in 1898 for about $1 million. Beautiful grounds alive with colorful gardens .

A great day exploring, shopping and of course sampling a pint of Canadian brew.

Posing at South Beach. Great spot on the ocean at Olympia National Park. Spent 2 nights..Hiked Mosses Trail . Dick is dwarfed by a 500 year old Sitka Spruce.. 12 feet in diameter and 270 feet tall. Awesome.

Look closely. Cat in window guarding store.

View from our RV.. Walk 50 feet down to ocean.

Stayed on the Chehalis River outside of Montesano. River on one side and lake on the other. Great hiking trails filled with wild beries. Yes we picked bunches. Berry cobbler and berries and cream yummy.

One more day touring Astoria. We visited the Maritime museuma and enjoyed climbing all ofver one of the retired coast guard vessels. This is a wonderful museum sharing the history of the west coast developement, the life of the fisherman, and the developemnt of the salmon canneries. Dick decided he was ready for some new dive gear and checked out this equipment. Aside from being a little cumbersome, it looks like it would work. HMM not for me....

Today we were at Long Beach Washington enjoying the National kite festival. This event lasts a full 7 days with all kind of events. Hundreds of kites on display high in the air. We were wowed by the variety: seahorses, lobsters, squid, caterpillars, cats, dogs, octopus, sea lions, a school bus and every shape and color you could imagine flying high. The colors were amazing, a glorius sunshine breezy day. We enjoyed watching the kite fights : Basir Beria the kite master kite for the film the Kite Runner was there.. he was responsible for building and tuning the beautiful kites used for the film and also for teaching the Chinese children and actors how to fly them. Of couse we had to get into the spirit and bought a kite. Who knows where this new activity will lead us.

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Tillamook/Astoria

Our favorite mode of travel for the coast.

We continue North. Dick and I have found new careers. Do you think there is a market for old farm hands??Spent a day in Tillamook, toured the cheese factory and yes, enjoyed the ice cream. I have a new respect for all of the work that goes into our dairy products. Then a visit to the Blue Heron Cheese and Wine. Enjoyed the gourmet cheeses and Oregon wines.

Today we toured Astoria on the "Old 300 Riverfront Trollley" a 1913 streetcar restored to carry tourists down the 4 mile waterfront area. Old time engineers share stories of the development of the area and old buildings. The fog is rolling in and it feels like a cool mist outside. What a change from AZ.

A laid back day. Kayaking the Siletz River was quite a kick. Tide changes and wind ...new experiences. We're enjoying this great campsite right on the river. A very few steps to dump our kayaks in the water and we're off.

Later in to town to search for seafood stands. Clams and salmon for dinner tonight. Yeah! Dick is the chef.

Tomorrow we are off in search of Tillamook cheese and ice cream. Yumm

Oregon Beaches

Another day of walking sandy beaches, touring lighthouses, and munching on seafood. We're camped on the Siletz river waiting to catch the big one. Climbed the 112 steps up a lighthouse today... What a view from up here. Must have been an interesting life as a lighthouse keeper. A great day.

Yeah, we're at the ocean. Stayed at Newport for a couple days. Enjoyed the beach, visiting the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse built in 1871. Its the only wooden lighthouse still standing in Oregon. We're on the sea food diet. Dungeness crab with butter dripping down our arms, grilled oysters, and halibut. Yummmy. Enjoying walking on the beach and falling asleep to the sound of the sea lions.

Crater Lake: traveled 33 miles around the lake and probably stopped that many times. Played in the snow and hiked part way down the trail to the bottom of the mtn. Phantom Ship lookls like a pirate ship... 16 stories high and 65 stories to the bottom of the lake. Beautiful colors in the water.

August 8.2009

A great day at Crater Lake in Oregon. We're getting use to the cold weather 33 degrees last night at our campsite. Thank goodness for our heater. We tried to visit Crater lake yesterday but the fog was so thick we had less than 20 ft visibility. HMM wonder why Dick wanted me t drive. Today was great.. The 5 mile trip around the lake is filled with surprises from Wizard island, Phantom Ship, 100 foot water falls and the pinnacles. I even found a patch of snow toplay in. We visited Fort Klamath where the Modoc Indian War of 1872 took place. Dick got to visit the jail... no they didn't keeep him . Tomorrow we're off to Bend Oregon.
Happy Trails

Pic of Mammoth California.

We've just spent the last week renewing friendships. One night with Bill and Lori Wahl. They entertained us royaly with a tour of Placerville and a great evening at their home. Luv their open spaces and outdoor areas. Then on to Paradise to stay with Fred and Rosalee Colgrave. We enjoyed kayaking at Oroville Lake and touring the town. We then joined them and 3 other couples on a trip to Alturas to stay at a small hot springs resort. Camped 3 nights by the ponds. Dick fished and caught several trout. Catch and release so no dinner. We're off now to Klamath Falls. It doesn't take long to learn this nomadic life style.